By Fred Delkin

     Oregon's fledgling wine industry first caught the attention of their french
counterparts when David Lett's Eyrie Pinot Noir shocked the world of wine by earning honors at a global Pinot Noir tasting staged by major Burgundy exporter Robert Drouhin.  This unexpected triumph sparked a Drouhin investment in the Red Hills behind Dundee, where the Domaine Drouhin winery processed fruit from 100 acres of prime Willamette valley terroir

Robert had his daughter Veronique learn the techniques of Willamette valley
winemaking, then placed her in charge of his Oregon property.  Now Veronique endorses Oregon vigneron procedures to the extent that the centuries-old traditions of Burgundy are being changed by some to reflect Oregon's astounding success with the most honored (and difficult to cultivate) red wine grape in vinous history.

New Book Touts Red Wine

This month a new book by British research scientist Roger Corder brings further amplifiction to the health benefits of consuming red wine.  "The Red Wine Diet" suggests a rather holistic approach to better long-term health with a complete nutrition and lifestyle plan with an emphasis on wine.  The author reviews the authoritative European government-sponsored studies of wine consumption results.  Corder has a 25-year background of research on blood pressure and heart disease.  He reports that "the pharmaceutical approach should not be the first choice for better health, but rather the backup plan for when things go wrong."

The London scientist, 51, has focused on red wine's daily consumptiom (2-3
glasses) as reducing the danger of heart disease.  He states that young red wines, particularly those with "firmer tannins from France and Italy," are the most beneficial.  Corder's book provides diet advice beyond swalloweingwine.  He dismisses the role of low-fat diets "because there is not the evidence to show this works in cutting heart disease or helping people lose weight."  He stresses that "healthy nutrition combats heart disease, cancer, dementia, blindness and osteoporosis in old age."  We salute Corder, whose wine education "started at 30 years of age when I went to live and study in Geneva."  He says this site was ideally close to the wine regions of northern Italy, Burgundy and Provence and "the wide choice of wines at relatively low prices created a wine paradise for this researcher and his wife.

Chinese Tipplers Discover Wine

A Chinese government study reports that Chinese wine consumption will grow 15% over the next five years.  Most of this consumption will be fueled
by domestic producers who are now learning the art of premium dry wine
output.  The government claims Chinese currently consume more beer per
capita than any other nation.  Germany and Canada might well argue this point.   Current Chinese wine consumption is 0.4 liter a year per capita, compared to a global wine drinking norm of seven liters per capita.

Great American Beer Festival Nears

Denver is again staging its craft brewing extravaganza, The Great American Beer Festival, Oct. 11-13.  Last year this event drew 384 breweries serving 1,650 beers for public sampling.  2,410 beers were judged in competition, in no less than 69 categories by 103 judges from nine nations.

Participating Oregon breweries in 2007 include: Bridgeport, Cascade Lakes, Deschutres, Eugene, Full Sail, Hopworks, Laurelwood, Ninkasi, Pelican, Philadelphia, Ram, Rogue, Steelhead, Widmer, Wildfire and Willamette.

Portland's annual Waterfront Beer Festival is the only challenger nationwide
to the scope of the Colorado event, and drew over 300 brewery partcipants this summer.  Our local bash has the historical edge, founded 26 years ago and undoubtedly inspiring its Denver imitators.  The craft brewing industry is an American success story, with over 1,400 brewries fitting this category at the moment (and a world apart in quality from our nationally-distributed sour soda water purveyors)

© 2007 Oregon Magazine